Beacon transmissions are used for a wide range of applications. WiFi, Bluetooth and other types of beacons are becoming common place. A device detecting a beacon signal may use information included in a received beacon signal and/or information about the signal strength of a received beacon signal to obtain additional information or to provide information to another device which can be used for a variety of purposes.
Stores and/or other information providers may install access points to transmit beacon signals to communicate information. In some systems a network device or other device, operated by the store or another entity may receive a report indicating receipt of a beacon signal by a device and respond to the device with information that may be useful to the device that reported the receipt of the beacon signal. The network or other device in such a case expects to receive a message indicating that a particular beacon signal was received and, in many cases an indication of the strength of the received beacon signal.
In some systems an RF map of a location is made by visiting a location and measuring RF signals received at the location from one or more access points or other signal sources. Such an approach to RF mapping requires a site survey of RF signals which often involves a considerable amount of time and sending a person to the site to take RF signal measurements. Once created the RF map can be used for location determination purposes.
From a cost and time perspective it may be undesirable to have to perform an RF survey involving measuring of RF signals at a store or other site where access points may be intentionally deployed before location determination operations can be supported at the store or other site.
In view of the above discussion there is a need for methods and apparatus for allowing location determination operations to be supported in locations where access points are known to have been deployed, e.g., in stores or other sites, without first requiring an RF site survey measuring signals received from the access points.
While not necessary for all embodiments it would be desirable if one or more location determination methods could be refined over time as signals are received, measured and the received energy of the signals is reported as part of a location determination operation.
It would be desirable if an estimate of the location of a device reporting the receipt of beacon signals at a store or other location could be determined from information reporting receipt of one or more signals.